Merchandise display and feeding device



Nov. 7, 1961 R. H. DICKSON, JR

MERCHANDISE DISPLAY AND FEEDING DEVICE Filed July 24. 1959 rllllll United States Patent 3,007,580 MERCHANDISE DISPLAY AND FEEDING DEVICE Richard H. Dickson, Jr., Indianapolis, Ind., assignor to Indiana Wire and Specialty Co., Inc., Indianapolis, 11141., a corporation Filed July 24, 1959, Ser. No. 829,326 2 Claims. (Cl. 211-49) The present invention relates to a merchandise display and feeding device and finds its primary utility as a display and feeding device for use in a supermarket, drugstore, or other retail outlet.

In present-day supermarkets, drugstores and the like, practically the only unused space available for merchandise is just below the shelves. Because of the fact that the various items of merchandise sold have different heights, many of such items do not extend completely up to the shelf next above the shelf upon which they are resting, and, therefore, space is available just below the upper shelf of such a pair of shelves.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a display device which makes use of this space just below the upper of a pair of shelves.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a display and feeding device which makes possible location of merchandise in an accessible and prominent position where it is visible to the customer.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a display and feeding device incorporating means for feeding the merchandise forwardly to an easily seen and accessible position.

Still further objects will become apparent as the description proceeds.

The full nature of the invention will be understood from the accompanying drawings and the following description and claims.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a display and feeding device embodying the present invention and shows the device mounted upon a shelf.

FIG. 2 is a top plan View of the device of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a side elevation of the device of FIG. 1 showing the device mounted upon a shelf.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged partial side elevation taken along the lines 44 of FIG. 2 and in the direction of the arrows.

Referring now to the drawing, my device comprises a substantially rectangular basket or container, indicated generally by the numeral and formed of wires or rods which are welded or soldered together at various points throughout the container so as to provide a rigid structure. Because the wires are spaced apart, the contents of the container are easily seen.

A pair of elongated plates 11 are fixed to transversely extending wires 12 and 13-, extend upwardly therefrom and run from front to rear of the container so as to divide it into three channels 141.4. At the forward end of the channels (leftward end as viewed in FIG. 2), each of wires 15 is formed as an upwardly extending loop so as to provide a stop member at that end of each of the channels 14. The wires 15 extend horizontally rearwardly to provide a bottom for each of the channels and turn upwardly at the rearward end of the container to provide a back for each of the channels. Sides, for the two outermost channels 14, are formed of vertically spaced horizontal wires 16-16 and the wires 12 and 13.

Coils 17-17 of resilient sheet material are received within each of the channels 14 and have their outward ends attached to the transversely extending portion of the wire 13. Each of the coils is so formed that it tends to resiliently retain its coiled shape but may be uncoiled rearwardly within the container, as illustrated by one coil I 26 of each bracket.

3,007,580 Patented Nov. 7, 1961 in FIG. 2 and 4, to receive packages of merchandise or other objects in front of the coiled portion 18 of the coil.

When released the coil will force against the objects and will tend to return to its completely coiled shape causing the objects to be held forwardly in the container against the respective stop members formed by the wires 15-. Thus the merchandise or other objects received in the channels 14 will always be retained at the forward end of the container where they are visible to the customer and are easily accessible.

Three horizontal rods 19 are positioned above the channels are are fixed at one end to transverse rod 20 and at the other end to transverse rods 2121. Assuming that the objects within the container have a height equal to the spacing of rods 19 from the bottom of channels 14, rods 19 will act as guides preventing the coils from passing below the objects. In most cases, however, the guiding function of rods 19 will not be necessary and objects of various heights may be used in the container.

A pair of brackets 22-2-2 are formed in a C-shape and have their lower legs 23 fixed to transversely extending wires 21 which in turn are fixed to the uppermost wires 13 and 21 of the container. The brackets 22 are so arranged that their concave portion faces rearwardly of the container so that thecontainer may be hung upon a shelf by means of the rearwardly extending upper leg A thumb screw 27 is threadedly received within the lower leg 23- of each bracket in such a maner as to project upwardly toward the upper leg 26 of the bracket. When the device is hung upon a shelf as illustrated in FIG. 1 and 3, the thumb screws may be tightened so as to fix the device to and below the shelf.

It should be noted that the brackets are positioned at approximately the center of the container adjacent the sides thereof and therefore when the device is mounted on a shelf the forward end of the container will extend outwardly of the shelf. Also, the upper legs 26 of the brackets extend a relatively short distance rearwardly as compared to the depth of a conventional shelf, and therefore the brackets will not interfere with cans or other objects on the shelf.

At the rearward end of the container there may be threadedly received a further thumb screw 30 which has its threaded end projecting upwardly and may be used to adjust the position of the rearward end of the device with respect to the shelf.

As can be seen from an inspection of FIG. 1, the container 10 has a relatively slight vertical dimension as compared to the distance between the shelves upon which the device is to be mounted. Thus when the cans or other objects 31 on a lower shelf do not completely fill the space bttween the lower shelf and the upper shelf 32, the device may be mounted upon the upper shelf so as to make use of the unused space between the upper shelf 32 and the cans 31.

If desired a plate 35 carrying advertising material or other indicia may be fixed to the container by means of a mounting wire or rod 36 which is fixed to transverse rods 21.

While the invention has been disclosed and described in some detail in the drawings and foregoing description, they are to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character, as modifications may readily suggest themselves to persons skilled in this art and within the broad scope of the invention, reference being had to the appended claims.

The invention claimed is: I

1. A display and feeding device comprising a container having .an open top and a generally open front and a plurality of side-by-side channels extending from the front to the rear of the container, a coil of resilient sheet material received in each of said channels and attached by its outer end to the front of said container at the bottom thereof, each coil being arranged to be uncoiled toward the rear of its respective channel with its coiled portion extending upwardly from the bottom of the respec-- tive channel for reception of objects in front of the coiled portion, a pair of brackets extending upwardly and rearwardly from the container for hanging the container from a shelf, a pair of screws threadedly received in said brackets and arranged for engaging the underside of the shelf to fix the container to the shelf, and a further screw threadedly received at the rear of said container for adjustably spacing the rear of the container from the shelf, said above mentioned screws being all of the screws provided in said device for the mounting thereof.

2. A display and feeding device comprising a container formed of spaced wires whereby the contents of the container are visible, said container having an open top and a plurality of side-by-side channels extending from front to rear of the container for receiving objects, an elongated sheet of resilient material resting within each of said channels and formed to resiliently maintain a coiled shape, each sheet of resilient material being connected by one end to the front of said container and arranged to uncoil toward the rear of its respective channel with its coiled portion extending upwardly whereby objects reoeived within said channels in front of the coiled portions are yieldably held toward the front of said channels, said container being formed with abutment portions at the front of said channels to prevent objects from being moved forwardly out of said container, a pair of brackets fixed to said container at the sides thereof and each having a portion extending upwardly from the container and a portion extending rearwardly from the upwardly extending portion for hanging the container from a shelf with its front projecting outwardly of and below the shelf, said rearwardly extending portions of said brackets having a relatively short length as compared to the frontto-rear dimension of the shelf whereby the device may be mounted upon the shelf without interfering with objects received on the shelf, a pair of thumbscrews threadedly received in said brackets and having their threaded ends projecting upwardly toward the rearwardly projecting portions of said brackets for fixing said container to the shelf, a further thunibscrew threadedly received at the rear of the container and having its threaded end extending upwardly of the container for adjustably locating the rear of the container and for securing the container with respect to the shelf, said container having a relatively slight height with respect to the usual distance between adjacent shelves whereby the device may be mounted upon a given shelf without interfering with objects received on another shelf below the given shelf, said above mentioned three thumbscrews being all the screws provided in said device for the mounting thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,179,584 Waugh Apr. 18, 1916 2,534,169 Hope Dec. 12, 1950 2,549,753 Ashman Apr. 24, 1951 2,852,143 Taber Sept. 16, 1958 2,915,082 Shaw Dec. 1, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 645,212 Great Britain Oct. 25, 1950 

